Georgia football’s most impactful freshman will thrive in the trenches.
When you recruit as well as Georgia football does, freshmen will make immediate impacts.
With a fantastic 2019 recruiting class in tote, if there is any true freshman poised to set the tone early for the 2020 Georgia Bulldogs football team, it has to be offensive tackle Broderick Jones. According to 247Sports, the five-star offensive lineman from Lithonia, Georgia was the No. 2 player at his position, the No. 3 player from his state and the No. 11 overall prospect in 2020.
Will Broderick Jones be able to fill the gaping hole left by Andrew Thomas?
A big reason Georgia has been able to win the SEC East the last three seasons and be in the mix for the College Football Playoff is because of the big uglies in the trenches. Kirby Smart and his staff recruited phenomenally, as three starters from last year’s front-five ended up getting drafted: Both tackles Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson, as well as guard Solomon Kindley.
Though talented offensive linemen such as center Trey Hill, right tackle Jamaree Salyer and right guard Ben Cleveland remain, Thomas’ departure leaves questions at the tremendously important left tackle spot. While he was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the New York Giants, it’s either going to be redshirt freshman Xavier Truss’ job or it’s Jones’ time to shine for the Dawgs.
Because former offensive line coach Sam Pittman now leads the Arkansas Razorbacks, former Ole Miss Rebels head coach Matt Luke replaces him in Athens with plenty of holes to fill, and the only way to do that is through competition. Though Luke was a mediocre head coach at his alma mater, he is a phenomenal offensive line coach, as is Pittman. Luke has to love having Jones on his team.
Left tackle has become increasingly important for the Dawgs to get right this season. Because presumptive starter in Wake Forest Demon Deacons graduate transfer Jamie Newman opted out of the 2020 season on Wednesday, Georgia just got a lot less mobile at the quarterback position. JT Daniels is coming off a torn ACL. Stetson Bennett IV and D’Wan Mathis are also pro-style guys.
Though Daniels may have the talent to overcome concerns at left tackle, it’d be a major problem if that position resembles nothing more than a turnstile for the Dawgs in 2020. Daniels only tore his ACL in his last college game for the USC Trojans and unfortunately lost his starting job to Kedon Slovis in the process, hence the transfer to the University of Georgia in the springtime.
Simply put, Georgia is too good to tolerate nonsense and lackluster play at either tackle spot. Jones may only be a true freshman, but he’s going to get playing time this year, whether that is as a starter or a swing tackle. Factor in the ongoing pandemic and next man up will never be a more present philosophy in college football. In short, Jones will play for the Dawgs and he’ll play a lot.
Though Smart and offensive coordinator Todd Monken shouldn’t expect him to be a world-beater, Jones is too talented and plays too important of a position not to contribute this season. Newman’s mobility could have potentially offset potential left tackle concerns, but not this year and certainly not now. Jones is a blue-chip prospect so he’s going to command early playing time.
If Jones lives up to the hype, the Dawgs could have their next Thomas at left tackle.
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